The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to isotope production systems, and more particularly to a target chamber of the isotope production system that includes a cavity formed from sheet metal.
Radioisotopes (also called radionuclides) have several applications for medical therapy, imaging, and research, as well as other applications that are not medically related. Systems that produce radioisotopes typically include a particle accelerator that generates a particle beam. The particle accelerator directs the beam toward a target material in a target chamber. In some cases, the target material is a liquid (also referred to as a starting liquid), such as enriched water. Radioisotopes are generated through a nuclear reaction when the particle beam is incident upon the starting liquid in the target chamber.
Conventionally, the target chamber is formed by milling or machining a block of metal, such as niobium, to form a cavity to contain the starting liquid. However, the milling process is inefficient, producing waste and low manufacturing yield rates based on tolerance requirements, such as for thickness, for transferring thermal heat from the target chamber to an external system.